Teresa Giudice, (L) star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Joe Giudice appear at Mount Airy Resort Casino for a book signing and meet and greet on March 5, 2016 in Mount Pocono City. (Photo by Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for Mount Airy Casino Resort)

The 46-year-old father of four was serving a more than three-year sentence for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud and was set to be released in March 2019. He was then expected to be transferred into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

Giudice’s team filed a petition on April 17 for a federal court to review the decision. If that request is denied, Giudice will be deported to Italy.

“We are extremely disappointed that the Board of Immigration Appeals has denied Mr. Giudice’s appeal,” said James J. Leonard Jr., the Giudice family lawyer, said in a statement. “We have filed a stay with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and will continue to fight to keep Mr. Giudice in the United States, the only country he knows, and reunite him with his wife and four daughters.”

Giudice was brought from Italy to the United States by his parents when he was one year old, but he never became a U.S. citizen.

“On Oct. 10, Mr. Giudice was ordered removed by an immigration judge with the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Mr. Giudice has reserved his right to appeal the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals and has 30 days to file an appeal before the order becomes final,” a statement from ICE read.

The statement continued: “As standard practice, ICE, through its Criminal Alien Program (CAP) works with the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to identify foreign-born nationals who are amenable to removal. These aliens are placed in removal proceedings while serving their criminal sentences in order to reduce ICE detention costs and expedite removals once BOP transfers are completed.”

His wife, Teresa, served a little over 11 months in prison for the same crimes and was released on Dec. 23, 2015.

Teresa spoke about the possibility of her husband being deported on the reunion episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

“It’s like starting a whole new life,” she said. “And (her daughters have) been through so much already. So, I mean, I’m not doing a long-distance relationship. I’m just not doing it. I want somebody with me every day. I know exactly what happens; I’m sure he’ll be with other women. It happens. We do the long-distance thing? It’s not going to work. I’ll be like, ‘bye-bye.'”

Teresa and Joe Giudice have been married since 1999 and share four daughters together: Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 13 and Audriana, 10.